READING: Jeremiah 1-4
“. . . Cracked cisterns that cannot hold water . . . .”
Jeremiah 2:13
In my teen years, our family owned a home with a cistern. I had never heard of such a “water holder” until we moved to that new home, and we became dependent on two things: (1) consistent rainfall and (2) a watertight cistern. The former was up to God, but we were responsible for making sure the cistern was in good shape. A leaking cistern would result in losing life-giving water.
Jeremiah used that same image to describe the sin of the people of God in his day. Their idolatry was rampant. They had defiled the very land God had given them by their worship of false gods. Even the spiritual leaders fell into idolatry, and they led the others in that faulty direction. Here’s how Jeremiah described their sin: “For my people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves—cracked cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jer. 2:13). Not only had they turned their backs on the God who had brought them into existence, but they also turned to false gods who could offer them nothing lasting.
So, I’m left wondering about how much I do that ultimately is nothing more than a cracked cistern—that is, it cannot bring me anything of eternal significance.
Think about it. Popularity. Position. Awards. Recognition. Dollars. What seems so important in the immediate loses its force in the days to come when the all the water has drained through the cracks.
ACTION STEPS:
- Determine what the cracked cisterns are in your life. Confess and repent.
- Cling to Christ alone as the living water that does not dry up.
PRAYER: “God, I don’t want the ‘stain of iniquity’ before me. Help me to live for You alone.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Jeremiah 5-8